


Three

by DanieXJ



Category: ER
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-17
Updated: 2006-09-17
Packaged: 2017-11-17 06:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/548555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieXJ/pseuds/DanieXJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay, I seem to have a problem with writing stories that are confined to only one fandom. So... here's the solution. The title is how many characters talk in the story. I promise. I think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (From the time of posting, not writing) Ah... I'm not quite sure when this was supposed to take place exactly. From the narrative it sounds as though it's around the end of the seventh season and definitely before Kerry meets Sandy, but, ah... I don't remember exactly. (I also think that I did the whole 'ER falling in' thing again in a newer story as well... is it stealing if I steal it from myself?

The pounding in her head wouldn't go away, she tried to remember what exactly had happened, but the thoughts just wouldn't form correctly. The first neuron that fired correctly was the one for red, there had been a lot of red, and white. Slowly it was all coming back to her. She had been standing at the admit desk, talking to the woman who had... something about a call from Rocket, and then. She tried to move her arms, but they seemed to be pinned down. She slowly opened her eyes, it wasn't as dark as she thought it would be, but it did seem as if they were in a twenty watt bulb. She thought about that, she wasn't even sure if they made twenty watt bulbs, she'd have to find that out. What had she been doing. She heard a groan coming from the right of her arm and she slowly extricated it from the rubble that was on it and felt around until she hit what felt like flesh. A quick survey with her fingers found a thumping area. Who had been with her, she wracked her brain for the name, and in a rush, everything came back. "Kim, Kim, are you okay?"

There was another groan, a cough, and then Kim spoke, "Yeah, I'm just peachy... you?"

"Just a little stuck."

After a second the weight on her chest and arms started to dissipate, and then much more light flooded in as a piece of beam that had been partially shielding her eyes was lifted away. She winced, "Kim, you're..."

Kim held a hand out, "You don't look so great yourself Weaver. Any pain, neck or back I mean?"

Kerry did a quick appraisal of her body. "Broken leg I think. Hip."

"Means you'll have to get it replaced..." Kerry's look seared into Kim's eyes, but the blonde doctor didn't seem phased by it. "So, will you take my damn hand and get up so we can get out of here."

"Where is here?"

"Kerry..."

"Kim..."

Kim looked around, "I think we're in the middle of the ER... Now, will you get the fuck up Weaver, we don't know if the whole building will come collapsing down on us or not."

Kerry pushed her self up a bit, and leaned against the pile that she had been partially under, "Why did you disregard my letter."

"God Kerry..."

"You used my first name, that's progress." Kim practically towered over Kerry, with her hands folded across her chest. "You do that, when you're scared, or unsure, around me, you put your arms around your clipboard, or across your chest, you protect yourself..."

Kim gave a hurf through her nose, "And how'd we work out, hmm..." Kim threw her hands up, "Kerry, you're so far in the closet you make... you make Jodie Foster look out..."

Kerry did a double take, "Jodie Foster's gay?"

Kim made a face, "No, yes, I don't really know, I mean, that's not the point Kerry." Kim turned away from Kerry and rolled her neck one way, then the other.

Kerry gave a cough. "Lord." She paused, "Kim, I need to sit..." She grimaced in pain.

Kim shook her head, "What, no... I can..."

"SIT down... and help me..."

Kim put a hand on Kerry's back and she herself got down on one knee as she helped Kerry down to the floor. There was a creak and then the sky was falling on them again.


	2. Chapter 2

A cough, "You're on top of me."

"Not an entirely new feeling..."

"Kimberly..."

Kim slowly rolled off of Kerry and onto her back. "Any new injuries?"

Kerry shook her head, then groaned. "I think we've lost some space here."

"Don't forget, it's dark. I'm serious Ker, are you okay?"

There was a long pause, "I'd guess a concussion..."

"What? You were under me." Kerry was silent, "Kerry, don't go away on me luv..."

"Huh... Sorry. The first bump on the head probably did it."

"How can you tell?"

"I don't remember anything before waking up in rubble. I remember talking to you, and then... nothing. Also, I lost consciousness. I'd say you should check my pupils, but unless you've got X-Ray vision or have a pair of night vision goggles in your back pocket..."

"X-Ray wouldn't help..."

"What?"

Kerry's eyes had adjusted enough that she could see something, probably Kim's hand move up to her head. "X-Ray, I'd be able to see inside the eye, not the... never mind..."

There was silence, then out of the blue Kerry spoke, "Do you bleive in God?"

A snort of laughter came from where Kim still lay. "In general or right now?" She paused for only a portion of a second, "No, don't asnwer that, and yes, I do..."

"But, you're a doctor, a scientist... the creation..."

"The creation is only one part of believing in God." Kerry could practically hear Kim's brain working as they both lay there in the dark. "When... Seven days right, forty billion years. People assume because the New Testement is Semi-Literal when it comes to some stuff that the Old is too... How did evolution happen, we had light, big bang, then the formation of the sun, the the Earth. Then plants, the animals evolved, finally, us..." Kim paused, "You need to talk Ker, not me... I didn't bash my head in..."

"Did you lose consciousness..."

"Yes, so.. I'm a hard head remember?"

"Hard ass..."

"You'd know..."

Kerry gave a laugh, but it disolved into a coughing fit. When she caught her breath she spoke, "Sorry..."

"Don't be, it's called gallows humor. It's healthy."

"Gallows would suggest we're going to die."

Kim parried back, "So, we need to find a piece of wood to block the guillotine blade..."

Kerry shook her head, "You always choose the hard way. It's easier to simply pull your head out of the way."

"And you Ker, always first you think about running away..."

Kerry pushed herself up and immediately regretted it. The groan echoed in their small space. Kerry felt Kim's hand on her stomach, "You okay Ker?"

Kerry took a breath, "Just pain." Kerry patted Kim's hand, "Really, I just shouldn't have moved."

After a second Kim removed her hand and scooted over to sit next to Kerry. "You were going to mutter inanely at my point..."

"I wasn't running away."

"Looks like running, feels like running, smells..."

Kerry interupted Kim, "You're, 32 right. So let's say you came out to yourself at eighteen."

"Sixteen..."

"Fine, sixteen years you've had to come to grips with who you are, who you love. I've had... what, six months, and, I don't even know... I mean, I know, but... You're treating me like I've been out myself for more multiple decades when I don't even know..."

Kim was silent, "What do you know?"

"I don't know. I loved my husband, Ellis, Mlungisi."

"Mlungisi?"

Kerry frowned into the darkness, "I haven't told you about Mlungisi? I...I had to have..."

Kim gave a bump to Kerry's shoulder. "We haven't done a whole lotta talking lately."

Before Kerry could speak a voice came through the wall. "Anyone in there?" They heard a bark.

Kim scrambled towards the voice and gave an answering yell, not knowing where the voice was coming from. "Yes, we're in here..."

Kerry didn't mumbled, "They have a dog out, how long has it been?"

"Are you okay?"

"We're bumped, but alive..."

"How many of you are the..."

"Two."

There was a pause, "It's going to take a bit, stay where you are."

Kim gave one last yell, "We were planning on taking a vacation."

There was no response from the other side of the debris. Kim came back over to where Kerry sat. "Who is Mlungisi?"

Kim was surprised when Kerry laughed, "Who wasn't he? I met him during my time in Africa."

"With your parents?"

Kerry nodded, "I was the nerdy white girl missionary with the crutch and bright red hair." Kim smiled, "He saw through all that to the real me."

"Which real you?"

Kerry stared at Kim, then realized that it was still dark and Kim couldn't see the look that Kerry was giving her. "We're in the desk... can you see any shelves across from us?" All Kerry heard was silence and breathing, "Kim?"

Kim shook her head, "Sorry, visualizing where we are. We're in the left side of the admit desk on the back side that faces chairs?"

"Yes... I can feel Jerry's tupperware that he never takes home and has started to smell sticking into my back."

"Okay." Kerry watched Kim's shape move towards where they both assumed was the other side of the admit desk, then Kim's shape paused. "I feel, wait... okay, I think they're a pack of batteries. Either that, or a six pack of beer." There was silence for a few more seconds, "Got the flashlight." Kerry closed her eyes as Kim switched on the flashlight. Then frowned, "What's wrong?"

Kerry waved off Kim as she came closer, "I'm fine." She slowly opened her eyes. "I have enough of a headache as it is, don't need the light making it worse." Kerry winced and glided her fingers along a partially dried cut on Kim's face. "You didn't say anything."

Kim shrugged, "Wouldn't have helped. I know it wasn't too deep."

Kerry put her hand to her face the closed her eyes as her breath hitched. "Kim sat facing Kerry. "Kerry..."

Kerry opened her eyes again and shook her head, "I'm okay, too much going on at once is all." She paused, "You were insulting me? I was telling you about Mlungisi, after which you were going to tell me who the Lori is..."

Kim blinked, "Lori, she's uh... she's my sister." Kerry shook her head, "What, I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt..." Kim took a deep breath, "How the hell do you spell his name?"

This coaxed a small smile from Kerry which was almost immediately wiped away. "Your sister... you wanted to..." Kerry took her own deep breath, "M-L-U-N-G-I-S-I. He was my first boyfriend, as well as my... friend with benifits for a while as well..."

Kim coughed and looked up, meeting Kerry's eyes, "What... did you just say?"

Kerry shrugged, "I've had hard times in my life. He's someone who knows everything about me and has always, will always be there."

"Even..."

Kerry nodded, "Who do you think put some transatlantic sense into my head between your guerilla kiss and our talk in Doc Magoos."

"Guerilla, it wasn't that bad a kiss..."

Kerry gave a snort of laughter, "Guerilla as in, you made me jump out of my skin with surprise."

"You weren't listening to my words, I had to do something. So, Mlungisi, I'm assuming you two didn't go to a whole lto fo semi-formals?"

Kerry smiled, "No. But my first kiss was with him as well as..." Kerry trailed off, "But I moved away, and we both grew up. But..." Kerry trailed off again and put a hand against her forehead.

"Close your ears."

"What?"

Kim put a finger in each ear, demonstrating. Kerry raised her eyebrows, but did what Kim said. She heard Kim yell through the debris, but couldn't tell exactly what the blonde doctor was saying. After a moment she also closed her eyes as well. Her head felt like it was going to pop off her neck and roll onto the ground. A little time went by before she felt Kim's hand on her shoulder. She took her fingers from her ears.

"They're working. The woman's name is Sandy Lopez, fireman, woman, person, whatever... It'll be a while before they get to us though. You're Ms. Preparedness, where's the first aid kit?" Kim felt the now clotted cut on her head.

Kerry pointed to the right, where there was a wall of ceiling and walls. "Sorry."

"This was not your fault Ker..."

"Unlike everything else. If it weren't for my... sentiment, you wouldn't have been by the desk."

Kim inclined her head, "That's true." Kerry leaned her head back and didn't speak, but Kim continued. "You were going to tell me a story."

"You don't give a damn Kim, I can see it in your face."

Kim closed her eyes, "Have you ever looked deeper than my skin Kerry?"

Kerry was aghast, "You accuse me of what, racism now? Homophobia? I'm in love with you, and truly and utterly loved a fucking African born man. How then..."

Kim put a hand over Kerry's mouth, "Shut up. I'm not saying you're a racist... though your inner homophobe was yelling her head off when I met you..." She shook her head and removed her hand, "I wasn't talking about my skin color, or even my sexual orientation. I'm talking about me... the inner me, the real me... From the moment I met you, do you think I even saw your crutch. Hell Kerry, I even saw through your bitchy facade. But you... It ripped me apart when you asked me to stay quiet at work." Kerry started to speak, but Kim held a finger up. "I understood, mostly, but then..." Kim closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders. She was starting to get a throbbing pain in between her shoulder blades. "Then you walked out of my apartment while I was being talked at by the police officers." She opened her eyes, "And then the... my hearing with Romano, that farce of a thing..." she paused, "There's some religion for you. Were you feeling Peter that day Kerry?"

Kerry jerked up as Kim took the redhead's hand and placed it over her heart. "I have a heart. I may look in total control. I'm the rock, but I needed someone to lean on too, and you couldn't see that, couldn't acknowledge it, or didn't want to, or..."

Kim trailed off, but Kerry didn't speak up either. Neither knew how much time had gone by before Kim sat up so fast that Kerry thought the blonde would pass out. "Shit Kerry, say it again..."

"What? What, I didn't say any..."

Kim made a rewind motion with her finger, "Before I started ranting..."

Kerry frowned, "I'm not a racist or a homophobe?"

"No, after that..."

Kerry raised an eyebrow, "I was madly in love with Mlungisi?"

"No, no, you said you love me."

"No, I'm in love with you... Am I the only one having a bit of emotional whiplash here?"

"Do you?"

Kerry took a hold of both of Kim's hands in each of her own. "Kim. I haven't known a lot of love in my life, I can practically count those who have truly loved me on one hand, but yes, when I look into your eyes I get lost in them, and yet don't really want a life preserver, but just want to drown. I think that means that I love you."

Kim captured Kerry's face in her hands and kissed the chief of the ER with all the energy that she had left. Then sat back a little and smiled, "I love you too, and that was the worst sentence you've ever spoken..."

Kerry raised an eyebrow, "Well, you can be quite... flustering... Kim."

"Who me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sandy had been giving them shouted updates here and there, but other than that there had pretty much been silence. But unlike before it had been a comfortable silence between the two women. It was Kim who broke it finally. "I have a question for you."

"Okay... Am I going to regret listening to this question?"

Kim shook her head from side to side slowly. "What possessed you to bring me Kung Pao Chicken?"

"You mean when you sounded like a spoiled brat?"

"Hey..."

Kerry smiled, "Why... why... I don't know. Randi had made some off hand comment about you going from jail to the jail ward. Maybe..." She paused, "I guess I was trying to say I was sorry about giving you not even a quarter of the defense I would have given one of my own employees, or friends, or colleagues." Kerry shrugged.

"It was good chicken."

Kerry's eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled and shook her head. Her face slowly got more serious. "I am sorry. I, you didn't... I was so wrapped in my own inner fight that I didn't hear you." Kerry shook her head.

Kim moved back to her original place sitting next to Kerry, "I'm sorry too. Sophomore year of high school, second semester, I got my first, only, and last D. Not to mention a rash of Cs..." Kim chuckled, "I thought my mother was going to pop. She kept repeating, 'I love her, she's my daughter, I love her' over and over. That was the year that I fought through my feelings and doubts about my sexuality. But in my love for you... I forgot that it could be just as hard for you. But you looked like such a together woman... maybe I thought I looked deeper than I really did myself."

They both jumped as there was a large bang and then a creaking sound. Kerry gripped Kim's free hand with her own. But Sandy's voice came through the rubble and sounded much closer. "Sorry 'bout that. We're almost to you, can you see any light yet?"

Kerry reached across Kim's body and switched off the flashlight. Kim smiled at Kerry's familiarity before she spoke to the wall, "Yeah, you're to our right."

"Good, stay put."

Kerry rolled her eyes and went to turn back on the flashlight, but Kim's hand stopped her. "There are many things to do in the dark Kerry my red headed lover..."

Kerry's head moved between the pinprick of light that was getting slowly bigger and Kim. "They'll be in here at any moment."

Kerry felt a shrug roll over Kim's shoulders, "She sounded gay..."

"Kim, you can't know that. People can't sound gay..."

"Have you ever heard Elton speak?"

"He's British Kim."

Kim kissed the end of Kerry's nose, "I rest my case Ker." She met Kerry's lips, but both were startled out of the mood as there was another crash and rumble and the light got significantly bigger. Kim moved away a bit. "I can... I will respect your wishes Ker, but, you have to promise me something." Kerry waited in silence, "The moment you feel you're ready to come out to the rest of the world... tell me?"

Kerry nodded as a human sized hole opened up in the rubble to their right. Kim leaned down and Kerry jumped, "What, Kim..."

Kim shushed Kerry as she lifted her up. One arm below her knees and one behind her back. "Do you want to make Firewoman Lopez come in for us?"

Kerry rolled her eyes as Kim went towards the hole that was about as big as Kerry. Kim ducked under and through the hole.

Sandy looked surprised when Kerry and Kim appeared. "Do you need..."

Kim shook Sandy off, "I know, it's against all sorts of procedures, but we're both Doctors, and both basically okay, just lead the way."

Sandy paused, then nodded, "Alright. Oh, and to warn you, there are quite a lot of cameras out there. You two are a bit of excitement."

Kerry met Sandy's eyes, "There are... others in there that didn't make it."

Sandy nodded, "The second you two are out of the way."

Kerry closed her eyes and after a miniscule pause, put a hand on Kim's chest, "Onward Silver."

Kim blinked and looked down at Kerry as they stepped into the insanity that was outside. "Did you just call me horse face?"

A smile came to Kerry's face and she stretched her neck up and captured Kim's lips in her own.

This caused Kim to abruptly stop walking or risk dropping the red head. When Kerry settled back down into Kim's arms and away from Kim's lips Kim still didn't move. "Do you know what you just did?" There was no bitterness in Kim's statement, simply a cross between amazement and foreboding.

Kerry smirked, "I may be short, red haired, sometimes a bit emotionally slow, and have a bum leg, but I'm not stupid."


	4. Epilogue

Kerry lay in an unfamiliar hospital bed. The sheets felt wrong, the room smelled wrong, and it wasn't light enough. She was about to climb from the bed when the crazy blonde hair of Kim poked itself into the room, followed by the rest of her body. "Don't move a muscle Kerry Weaver."

Kerry looked up, "Me?"

As she slowly inched herself back onto the bed Kim put a hand on one of her feet for a moment, "I can see you inching."

"I can't stand it Kim."

Kim shifted from foot to foot. "You'll be better than new Ker..."

"I'm not contagious you know Kim. I'm just bitchy..." Kerry held out a hand and Kim took it as she placed a kiss on Kerry's lips. "Better... Now, what happened? They rushed me off like I was some... what was it? A bomb, the heater exploding?"

"Who was it."

Kerry frowned, "What?"

"The better question would be who. Derek Fossen. He left a note. It rambled on about deciding that shooting those who took his son, while his first choice, wouldn't be enough. He wanted everyone to feel his pain."

"Who is he?"

Kim closed her eyes, "The child that I and... and Mark removed from his father. He got, lucky... and he hit some oxygen tanks, as well as the support structure, and ABC7 is saying that he had flammable liquid in his car. I think they're still working on exactly what happened."

"It wasn't an accident?" Kim shook her head, "Who... who died? I heard... I'm going to assume, the way you said his name that Mark was indeed one of them?"

Kim nodded, "Kerry, you should..."

Kerry pulled her hand away from Kim's, "It's a broken leg Kimberly Legaspi, do you know how long I've been dealing with leg pain? Don't treat me like an imbecile, or a child.

Kim took a breath, "From the ER, your ER... Jing-Mei, Haleh, Lydia, Champs, and..." she closed her eyes, "And Randi..." Kerry's face went white and Kim mentally slapped herself, "I knew I shouldn't have told you. Damnit Kerry..."

Kerry gave her head a shake back and forth, "No, I'm okay... Wasn't Frank on the phone, by the desk? I think..." Kerry closed her eyes hard and didn't open them back up right away.

"Frank has a Guardian Angel it seems. He had a mild heart attack after the fact, but pulled through." Kim brushed a lock of Kerry's bangs off her forehead as the red head opened her eyes again, "You're going to see someone." There was absolutely no question mark at the end of Kim's sentence.

"Kim."

"Someone with a Psych in their title, followed by ologist or iatrist..."

"Kim..."

"I know that it doesn't seem like anything happened, but..."

Kerry grabbed the collar of Kim's shirt and pulled her down, shutting her up for a moment through the use of a very persuasive kiss.

"You two seem to kiss quite a lot, and in public..."

Kim straightened up and Kerry hid a smirk, "Enter the disembodied voice. Sandy you said?"

Sandy nodded, "Yes, Lopez. I just wanted to see how you were doing..."

Kim raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Sandy smiled, "Well, it's a better thing to say than I came in here to see if Red was single wouldn't you say?" Sandy shrugged with a smirk of her own, "But, it looks like both of you will live, and it looks like she's taken."

"Very much..."

Sandy chuckled as she left the room, and Kerry glanced up at Kim, "Very much what exactly Kimberly?"

Kim pulled over a chair and sat. "Oh, I don't know, very much in love, very much in lust, you're very much mine, and I'm very much yours."

Kerry leaned her head back into the pillows, "I'm going to regret this."

Kim smiled, "Nah, I rarely break up with someone three times."


End file.
